Beauty and The Bastard
by XxMangoQueenxX
Summary: The Royal's have been hiding a powerful secret weapon for a long time. When she escapes, it could cost them everything they want to achieve in Portland. It could also mean the disruption of daily life for a certain Grimm and his friends already in Portland, as she comes with a startling revelation...
1. Prologue

**Author's note: I am so excited to be starting this new adventure! Be warned, while my life is slowing down, it's still pretty busy and while I will try to update regularly, I might not get to all the time. However, I'm hoping to be posting the first real chapter of this before the weekend's over... Once I decide which one it is and edit it, etc. ;) Anyways, enjoy! I'm hoping to surprise you guys with some plot twists and turns later on!**

 _Out in the forest, a woman sprinted between the Austrian trees. Leaves whipped her in the face, scratched at her skin, and tugged at her clothes. But she didn't feel any of that pain. All she thought about was the sound of a crashing behind her, someone much bigger and less agile than she was. She couldn't be bothered to be intimidated by him. She'd learned to have no fear a long, long time before this. At least no fear of someone like him._

 _She came to a clearing, hopped over a fallen tree, and stood back in the shadows. Another figure slid to a halt just paces in front of her, a fully-woged Löwen. He sniffed around, knowing full well that she was nearby. His beady eyes looked around for her, as her scent wafted through his scent glands, tantalizing him. Drool dripped off his large canine teeth at the thought of tearing into the flesh of a Grimm._

 _His head snapped towards where he heard a twig breaking._ "Stupid Grimm," _he mumbled. He thought she was careless. She was giving herself away by loudly coming towards him. What he didn't realize, is that the figure coming towards him came from behind him, the direction they had came from instead of the direction where they were going. He also missed that she shimmered slightly, like she was just a hologram of the person he was after, which she was._

 _He spun around to face the apparition of the Grimm when he heard her voice._ "What do you want, Löwen?" _she growled. He growled back, trying to maintain his appearance of being stronger._

"I want to send a message to the King," _his response came from behind gritted teeth. He was having trouble reining himself in; he wanted to lunge forward and rip the honorary Royal in front of him to shreds. The woman didn't shake in fear though. She just disappeared._

 _It threw him off-guard, no doubt. It made him completely missed the attack coming at him from behind. The real, physical Grimm had run from her hiding spot in the shadows, and straight for his back. Before she reached him, she had pulled out a long dagger. She lept up, and grabbed his shoulders as if she were going to leapfrog over him. But instead, she hit a pressure point in the nerve of the Löwen's neck, dropping him instantly to the forest floor. There she rolled him over so he was lying on his back, and slit his throat. As the blood gurgled out, and flowed in channels down his neck, she searched him. With black leather gloves on, she took his wallet, his pocketknife, and a small, folded piece of paper. She opened it up delicately, as it looked like it must have been a decade old, to see a Wanted poster. Beneath the line of text, offering a reward of almost a million U.S. dollars was the picture of a face she hadn't seen in a very long time._

 _For once, fear started to dwell in her gut. She knew of the fragile situation overseas. Even as restricted as her reach was because of the Royal family, she monitored the situation. After all, she had to make sure her baby brother was safe. But if a Löwen bounty hunter, a low ranking one at that, had gotten wind of that reward, the entire state of Oregon would be crawling with people out to get him._

 _If only the Grimm standing in a forest 5,000 miles away from her original home, could get back to Portland._


	2. Chapter 1: A Royal Mission

**Author's note: I have been eager to post this chapter and get on with the rest of the story, so I apologize if the quality is not as great as it should be. Also, I promise that it will get more interesting once certain events occur… which are coming soon! I just needed a couple chapters for backstory and such. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and will keep reading! It will get better!**

 **Also: my thanks to google, who made this chapter possible.**

* * *

Addison Kane started her journey back to the village. Night had fallen a long time ago, before she'd come to the forest, before she killed the Löwen trying to kill her. But she didn't mind. She enjoyed the darkness surrounding her. It masked her actions, so didn't have to be as careful. Though, with the mindset of being extraordinarily careful beaten into her, she did anyway.

Three or four miles from where she left the Löwen's dead body, she pulled his wallet out of her pocket. She rifled through it, saving the cash and identification, but tossing the credit cards and receipts. She stuffed what she deemed useful back into the folds and put the wallet back in her pocket. Extra money was always nice on missions and the identification would most likely prove beneficial when she got "home". But she would have to do one thing before she could return.

After all she hadn't done what she'd been sent out to do: kill one of the leaders of the Resistance. He'd been stationed in a little village outside of Vienna. It was crude, without technology or even electricity. A perfect place to hide from the officials. Or so he'd thought. But the Verrat had managed to infiltrate the ranks, and now Addison had been sent to finish this particular branch off and clean up the mess. Addison preferred to travel on foot, but the village was too far away. So by taking the train, she got there right on schedule. Right when her target was suppose to be in the little village, based on Verrat intelligence. But when she'd gotten to the town, she'd found that the leader had gotten word of her mission. He fled, and the Löwen was sent after her. She was going back to the village to finish what she started though. If she couldn't take down the leader at the moment, she was going to burn the place down. She was a Royal after all.

* * *

The sun was coming up in the sky, turning it a bright orange. Addison waited at the edge of town, sitting atop of their cobble security wall, watching for the first signs of movement. She could just set the first houses ablaze before anyone was up, but where was the fun in that? She found enjoyment in the thought of letting them twist in the wind a little bit, as they realized what was going on. Then again, most of the compassion and humanity had left her a long time ago. There were a few people in the world she actually cared about. The rest were just extras, and she didn't care about their suffering. Sometimes, she rather enjoyed it.

Finally someone left their house. It was a man, a farmer, going behind his house to get animal feed. Addison watched very, very carefully as he brought the feed to the "town square" which was really just a couple stones that almost looked like a patio, and spread it over the rock. Slowly, one by one, chickens came out to nibble at the kernels. The man smiled, and for a second, Addison hesitated carrying out her plans. But only for a second.

She carefully slipped off the wall and picked up the branch she'd attempted to dry out, and set it alight using the flint and steel she'd brought with her. She'd expected to camp out at least once over her little journey and Austrian nights could get pretty chilly.

Addison then stalked around the backs of the houses on one side, paying close attention to any signs of movement within the homes. She continued her path until she reach the crop fields behind the village. It was how she entered the town, and how she had identified it as her destination without talking to any of the townsfolk. She'd later learned that it was shared by all the residents, and how they took turns to care for the plants and shared the produce they managed to harvest by the end of the season. Currently though, she watched as the flames licked around green stalks coming out of the ground and followed the plowed rows. Addison paused to enjoy the first row going up in flames, then continued along the rows until the fire was racing down the field from all sides. Soon, there would be nothing left.

Before anyone saw her or what she was doing, she carefully crossed a stream to a barn. There, like the fields, everyone shared the space to house their farm animals. And also with the fields before, Addison watched as flames burned it to the ground. She continued her destruction, setting fire to little bushes that were clumped around nearly every house in the village, which she knew would soon lead the flames to the houses themselves.

When she was satisfied and putting her torch out, she started hearing the screams and shouts. The farmer she had seen first had been knocking on doors as soon as he saw their crops roasting, so most of the town was gathered in the center of everything before their own homes had even started burning. Knowing that the residences were empty hadn't stopped Addison from burning them down. She wouldn't kill them right then, but she would still be responsible for their deaths as they starved and froze to death because all of the resources Addison had destroyed.

She left unseen, a smile on her face, as thick clouds of smoke rose up into the skies behind her. Her work was done. The Resistance would get her message.

* * *

Back at the castle, Kenneth paced in his quarters. He was anxious for her return. He knew almost as much about Addison's mission as she did. He knew the village was just outside of Kramsach, more in the forest then the larger tourist town. He was also aware of her purpose; to infiltrate the community and murder the Resistance leader without raising too much suspicion. He even knew her schedule, and deadline. He knew that she should be arriving that day. But he also knew Addison, and how she liked to get things done and over with very quickly. On most of her missions she came back earlier than expected, even being thorough with her tasks. That's what worried him most. He had no way of knowing that something was off, and by this point, no matter how irrational it was, he thought there must be.

He strode over to the window, resting his palms on the hewed stone sill. He watch the sun rising from the horizon, wondering if Addison was seeing the same thing, wondering what she was seeing, what she was feeling, if she was even still alive. Kenneth knew he was overreacting, but he couldn't help but be worried. He'd found that after years of manipulation, and a rocky relationship, he actually loved her and cared about her. He just wished he'd known that earlier. He wished he'd told her before she left, since it was never guaranteed that she would come back from a mission. She was very wanted. And most people wanted her dead.

Kenneth was put at ease when, a few hours later, after he'd gone through his morning routine and was working out in his personal weight room, Addison burst through the doors. She looked a little ragged, or like she'd been living outside for a week, which she basically had. Her hair was frizzy and tangled, she had smudges of dirt all over her skin, and when she got close, he realized she smelled heavily of ash and smoke.

Kenneth dropped his weights to greet her with a hug. Addison squeezed back fully, clinging to his sweaty body. She'd been kind of lonely sleeping alone the last couple nights..

Kenneth broke their embrace to hold Addison's face in his hands. He kissed her lips, then just took in her face, like he hadn't seen it in years.

"I was only gone five days," Addison commented. She smiled at the apparent grief her absence had caused, though.

Kenneth smiled in response. "I know. But that was long enough." He leaned in for another kiss, before she could response. They still had much to talk about, however, so it turned out to just be a quick peck.

"Have you been to see the King?" Kenneth asked, somewhat reluctantly.

She shook her head. "I came straight here. I wanted to clean up before requesting an audience with him."

He nodded back. "Good idea. You smell terrible." He smiled playfully at her, and she punch his bicep with similar playfulness. Then she left the room to get another outfit and a shower. It was a very good decision to be clean for the King, and she didn't want to tell him her news anyway, so taking as much time as possible was an appealing idea.

In her own, private bathroom, she took out the wanted poster once again. It's edges were uneven, and it was heavily wrinkled by many folds, but the picture in the middle was still terribly clear. It was still the same picture that she'd seen in the forest. No matter how impossible it was, she'd really hoped it would have changed by the time that she'd gotten home. Or that she'd seen it wrong the whole time. But that was not the case. It was still her baby brother, like before. Her own flesh and blood, who, very soon, would be in grave trouble. She could feel it in her bones, like a storm brewing overhead. And she hoped against hope that she could save him and it wouldn't be too late.

 **A/N: Dun dun duhhhhh ;)**

 **So what did ya think? Feel free to leave reviews and help me make the story better! Thanks guys!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Royal Audience

**A/N: Yayyy another chapter go me. This weekend looks like it's going to be busy, so I'm updating now. I hope to get more writing in and post another chapter by the end of it though! Enjoy!**

After getting out of the shower, toweling dry, and getting dressed in something presentable, Addison triple checked on what had was now one of her more fond possessions. The only picture that she still owned of her family. She made sure it was in a safe place, and then left her room. Kenneth was outside, waiting to escort her to court.

They walked down the halls surrounded by the sound of Addison's heels clicking on the ancient stone floor. The sound would have been annoying to her, but she was deep in thought on other things. She was reluctant to tell the King that she'd essentially failed her mission, though it wasn't her fault. The King didn't care about details like who's fault it actually was, he just cared about the success of the mission and whether or not things got done. Though, she figured he would be plenty interested in knowing that once of his men had betrayed the Family and tipped off the Resistance. He would be even more interested in names and faces, but Addison didn't have that information. She did have the Löwen's information, which she clutched tightly in the hand that wasn't holding on to Kenneth. It might just be the thing to save her from a whole lot of pain.

Kenneth and Addison stopped in front of a heavy, solid oak door. Rispoli had waited for the couple before opening the door and entering the room. Kenneth and Addison walked inside themselves, and let the door slowly swing shut behind them. Before the King turned to face his visitors, Addison pulled away from Kenneth. She'd been a lot more private about their romance than he'd been. After all, his life was pretty guaranteed, whereas hers… wasn't.

The King turned from his blazing fireplace to look at Addison, a glass of bourbon in his hand. She gave him a small curtsy, just enough to acknowledge his status without getting punished. She stepped forward at his motion to come closer, and behind her, Kenneth did too. However, he still maintained a good distance away, since the meeting wasn't about him. This time, he was barely more than a bystander.

"Addison, it's a pleasure to see you again. You always bring me some of the best news. What is it this time, dear?" the King's words rolled off his tongue silky smooth, yet disgustingly greasy, like oil. It crawled beneath Addison's skin, just the way the King liked it.

Addison cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Well, your Highness, I bring you news, though I wouldn't call it good…" she trailed off, making seldom eye contact. Her head hung in despair, though not because she failed her mission. She was worried about other things besides her now finished mission.

"Oh yes? Why don't we just start at the beginning then. How did your mission go?"

She flashed a fake, pleasant smile. She was truly very angry about the situation. "Well sir, it didn't go as planned. I got to the village to find my target escaped. It appears as if one of our own Verrat betrayed us." Addison took a pause, watching the King mull over what she'd told him. Then she continued, "The same night I arrived, I was followed into the forest by a Löwen who wished to kill me. He said he wanted to send a message to you, your Majesty." She held out her hand, not taking another step forward or breaking eye contact with the King. A servant peeled himself from the wall to take her offerings to the King, like she knew he would.

"Did you kill him?" The Kings eyes briefly looked up from what he'd been given to wait for an answer.

Addison nodded. "Yes sir I did. That morning I left town. But before I left I sent them our own message, sir."

The King smirked back at Addison. "And what message was that?"

"Well your Majesty, since I couldn't exterminate my target, I burned the whole village to the ground." Normally, that was a phrase that would aroused negative emotions in a normal human, but no one in that room was human, or normal. They were all the same type of people, ones who enjoyed tidbits like that.

"How many people were killed?" The King asked.

"None at first, sir. I left before everything had been destroyed, but not until I saw that all their food was gone. It won't be long until everyone perishes."

The King nodded. "You have been taught well, my dear. That was a perfect message. If only you had taken out you target, you would have been as good as gold." Fear fluttered briefly in Addison's eyes before they were masked once again. She knew first hand the degree of severity the King put into the punishments he doled out, and she didn't want to receive it, again. "But I suppose there was nothing you could have done about that. So well done on what you could do, dear." Addison's body filled with relief at the compliment. She gave a slight bow before turning and returning to Kenneth's side. They began to depart before the King called out for them to wait.

"I must say, you both have done tremendous work here in Europe," he prefaced. It made both of them worry just a little bit, once again, because that statement could go in so many different directions. But it took a direction neither of them would have guessed. "I wish I had more men like you two, but it's hard to get what I have now. That is why I'm reassigning you. Your skillsets, both of them, are in great need of elsewhere. Portland, in fact. I want you two to reclaim our kingdom overseas, and I want you two to take out as much of the Resistance based there that you can."

Addison and Kenneth swapped surprised glances. Kenneth was the first one to speak up, "Thank you your Majesty. We will make you proud, sir." Addison nodded her agreement.

"I know you will. That's why I'm sending you," the King responded. "Now go pack. Your plan leaves in the morning, 7 a.m. sharp."

With the King's last words hanging in the air, Kenneth and Addison headed for their respective rooms. They were a swell of emotions. They were elated to be looked on favorably by the King, and to be chosen for this mission. They were excited to go to Portland, where it was, basically, the front lines of their war. Addison was ecstatic because that was just what she needed to get to the other Grimm.

They parted ways as they reached Kenneth's room, and then Addison went to her own room. As soon as she closed the door she backed up into it, and let herself slide down to the floor. She was so, so relieved, she could barely express it. She loosened her own restrictions, so a single tear fell down each cheek. Then the emotion was stuffed back down, and she pretended that none of it mattered. She sat there for a long time as emotions flickered through her head. When she finally got up, she did what she had been told to do; she packed for her trip to Portland.

* * *

When it came to the physical action of packing though, Addison was pretty careless. She tossed a couple complete outfits into her bag, not knowing how many she should need. Plus, her conscious wasn't paying attention to what her subconscious was doing. While her subconscious ordered her body to put items in the big rectangular object lying open on her bed, her conscious wandered. She thought about how she would escape when they got to Portland, or if she even could. She thought about finding her brother. She didn't know where he lived besides that he lived in Portland. She did know that he was a cop, so that was something. She thought about killing Kenneth, though she doubted if she could do it in Portland, if at all she could at all. Her thoughts never lingered on one particular thing, but rather flickered frantically.

There was only one thing that stayed with her. It was the bird curled up in her chest that was singing louder than ever. She had more hope in that bedroom, while dreaming of her near freedom, than she'd in a very long time. It had been a decade actually. From the age of 18, when she'd been caught by the Royal family to now, at her age of 28, she'd had very little to be hopeful about. But now, things had changed. She only had to stick it out a little longer until she could make it to Portland. Then maybe she could be free of the Royals once and for all.


	4. Chapter 3: A Royal Flight

Addison didn't get any sleep before the flight. After she'd finished packing, she'd tried to sleep, but her mind just wouldn't stop racing. She'd tried to put it to use at one point, trying to formulate any semblance of a plan for once they left the plane, but there were so many variables to her. She didn't have the slightest idea of what was going to happen once they landed. So instead of trying to control her thoughts, or sleep, she paced in her room, letting her mind run rampant.

Streaks of sunlight were smeared across her floor long before she realized it. She'd paced all night. She paced until Rispoli came to her room to take her bags. She paced until Kenneth led her out of the castle she'd always known. And even long after she stopped pacing, the worry that plagued her continue to nibble it's way through her defenses. In turn, she'd nibbled her nails to distract her. But Kenneth didn't notice. He never noticed. It's part of what made her so sure that he didn't actually love her. She was just his pawn in his little game of being Prince. It just added to all the weight she was feeling from everything else. Hopefully she could lift it when she got to Portland. Hopefully she could change everything.

* * *

"Miss Addison?" Rispoli sauntered over to the blonde(ish) woman in the plush seat. Her head turned from the window to him, eyes cluttered with emotion, a patch of dampness on her fair cheek. "We are almost in Portland. And Prince Kenneth would like to see you." He gave the woman no indication that he felt sympathy for her. He would have like to, but couldn't risk it in an airplane of the Royal's possession. He knew how she felt; how she lusted for freedom and was so close to it, yet so far away. He wished that his eyes would convey some part of that, but he didn't know if it got across to her.

Either way, she stood, tugging her shirt down, and wiped the emotion from her face, both literally and figuratively. She turned without a word and walked to the other cabin of the jet, where Kenneth waited for her.

"There you are dear," he commented, in his vaguely European accent. He patted the seat next to him, and semi-unwillingly, she sat. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze, as she laid her head on his chest. She looked out the window, watching the sky moving by. She wished more than anything to be out there. Then her focus shifted to the sound of Kenneth's heart beating, just barely beneath the skin. Oh how she would love to drive a stake through it…

Addison wanted more than anything to be the one to kill Kenneth. She had for a long, long time. Because he was Royal, because he was her captor, because he was the one thing standing between her and her family. He had messed with her emotions and her mind for long enough. But she also knew that when he died, by her hand or not, she would mourn his death. No matter how abusive he could be to her, he hadn't been the worst person she'd been in service to. His family had been much worse to her. She just wanted revenge, she wanted all of them dead.

"Just think," he said. "A little over an hour until we reach Portland, our new kingdom." He said the word kingdom like it wasn't already his. Like he wouldn't have to fight his own family for control. Like there wouldn't be any resistance when they landed. She smiled. Not because she enjoyed what he said, but at what he didn't know. He didn't know that the one he was holding, would hopefully be the person who ended his rule, permanently.

"What do you think will be waiting for us?" Her gentle eyes looked at his harsher ones.

Kenneth's eyes flashed briefly, before gazing out the window. It was several seconds before he answered. The silence betrayed the confidence he'd exuded earlier.

"Probably my cousin," he responded softly. "Hopefully my cousin," he added. Addison knew of his bloodthirst, so it didn't surprise her that he was already looking for a fight. "Possibly even a Grimm." At that, Addison's heart skipped a beat. She knew full well who that Grimm was. She knew a lot more than Kenneth thought she knew about that Grimm, more than he knew himself. She knew the whole Portland domain more than he thought she did. But she would never let him know that.

"A Grimm?" She feigned surprise.

"Yes, my dear. A Grimm, like you. Only, on the wrong side of things." He looked back into Addie's… concerned face. "You want to be the one to take him down don't you?" He smiled.

Of the people Addison wanted to take down, Nick was not on the list. But Kenneth didn't need to know that. "Yes. Yes, please let me handle him." Kenneth just nodded permissively. She just had no intention of "handling" him like Kenneth meant.

"He'll be a challenge," he warned.

Addison pretended to be taken back, which didn't come too hard since she was a little. "You don't think I can take him?"

"That's not what I was saying," he defended.

"You insinuated it." Addison stood, and started to turn away like she was going to storm out. Kenneth hopped up and grabbed her wrist. Of all the contacts that Addie had felt, that one touch was one of the gentlest. She turned to look at the man who still held on to her.

"I was only insinuating that he is going to be a challenge. You haven't fought a Grimm before." She tentatively took a step closer.

"Then this should be fun," she replied in a low whisper. Then she took one step forward, toward Kenneth with a smile that mirrored his. She gave him a feathery kiss on his lips, then left with her words still hanging in the air, back to her own peaceful solitude. For another hour at least.


	5. Chapter 4: A Royal Escape

**Wow I posted really late! And I will admit, it's not the best thing I've ever written... But we're getting to the longer, meatier chapters! Finally! Hallelujah! Anyway, thanks for the reviews guys! It feeds my creativity! :)**

* * *

As Kenneth was grabbing their bags from the compartment and handing them to a manservant, Addison ran down the steps of the plane. To an outsider, she appeared to be enjoying the feel of solid ground beneath her. In reality, as the Portland air surrounded her, she found immense relief in being closer to her brother.

When their bags had been transferred to a black SUV, Addison unwillingly climbed into the car after Kenneth. As they drove along the Portland streets, Addison was absorbed in looking out the tinted windows. She was a bundle of nerves, since every building they passed was another step closer to freedom, or else that's what it seemed.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour to Addison, they passed a building that stood out to her, very clearly. She'd seen it in a photo she'd collected from a Resistance ally that she had been sent to kill. It was the precinct that Nick Burkhardt worked at. She scanned the parking lot as they passed by, hoping that she might catch a glance of him or his car, or something.

"Are you ok, darling?" Kenneth's voice pulled her back to the car. He reached a hand over and held hers, a motion that made her want to push him out of the moving vehicle. The farther they got away from the place and life she'd once considered normal (because she had no other option) the more she wanted to just get away from Kenneth.

She nodded, and gave him a false smile. Then she continued to watch out the window.

* * *

"And here we are," Kenneth announced. He held the door open wide, and Addison entered the suite before he did. "I was told there was only one room left, so I guess we'll have to share," he continued. Addison turned to look at the smiling man behind her. "But that shouldn't be too hard."

 _No it shouldn't,_ she thought. _It gives me better access to you, "darling"._

As they dragged their bags to their room, another door opened. A pregnant blonde stepped out, and gave both Addison and Kenneth a disgusted look.

"Can't you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep here." Her tone matched her facial expression, rude and ugly. Kenneth dropped his bag upon seeing her, and headed straight for her, hand extended. Addison however, stayed where she was, not wanting anything to do with the angry blonde in the hallway.

"You must be Adalind," Kenneth announced, retracting his empty hand. Addison nodded to herself on the other side of the room, remembering the name she'd heard in bits of discussions between Kenneth and the King.

"Yes… And who are you?" Adalind bitterly retorted.

"I'm Prince Kenneth. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you but well…" he trailed off. Then he nudged her robe open and everyone in the area saw the same thing; a swollen stomach. He grin grew larger as her said "Oh it's a two-for-one is it? Who is the father of this one, may I ask?"

Adalind hastily yanked her bathrobe back together, and crossed her arms over her chest. Her hair was falling out of a messy bun, making her look indeed like a stressed mother-to-be. She hesitated a minute before making up a lie. "It's Prince Viktor's," she replied, which made Kenneth scoff. "Speaking of, where is Viktor?" she asked, a flash of fear crossing her irises. Viktor had never been overly nice to her, but at least Adalind knew where she stood with him. With this newcomer, however, she had no idea.

"VIktor was recalled back to Vienna. I'm afraid you're stuck with me now."

Once again, a fear briefly filled Adalind's green eyes, before returning to her look of irritation. She tried to remain cool, but everything was changing too fast. Addison sympathized with her. She'd felt that way because of the Royals too. But the sympathy didn't last long.

"You should go back to bed Adalind. After all the search for your firstborn begins tomorrow," Kenneth said as he nudged the blonde back into her room, as she still fought to keep her face neutral.

"Goodnight," the flustered woman replied before shutting her door. Once she had her privacy, she could let all the stress from the conversation overcome her. Meanwhile, Kenneth returned to Addison's side and picked up his bags again.

"Shall we?" His European accent rang out. He lead the way, once again, to their new home. They entered what Addison assumed was the master suite, passing a guard on the way in. It filled her with apprehension to see him there, outside their room. She didn't figure he would be too much trouble when she left, but she was puzzled as to what kind of place they'd had ventured into. Back at the castle, guards were only casually placed at the gates, let alone each room. Were they really that mistrustful of Americans?

The two of them threw their bags down on the floor, and as Kenneth collapsed on the bed, Addison checked out the rest of their room. She was already making a checklist of items she could use from the room in case her escape went wrong. She didn't intend to kill Kenneth, at least not yet. She wanted to make a (mostly) clean getaway in case she had to come back. Not that she wouldn't just be killed on site if she came back.

Addison returned to the main part of the bedroom, and collapsed next to Kenneth. His eyelids were shut, covering the dark, heartless marbles beneath them. He almost looked human for once. Addison almost felt something for him, seeing him like that.

It wasn't long before she had joined him in sleep, right there on top of the covers. And man, did it feel nice.

* * *

Addison woke up at 2:48 a.m. She'd been asleep for less than five hours, but once her eyes were open, she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Nor did she want to. All she wanted was to escape.

She slid out from underneath the blankets that Kenneth must have covered her with, and headed straight for her suitcase. She carefully opened it up, trying to keep the zipper as quiet as humanly possible. She pushed aside a pair of comfortable clothes she'd packed for the minute they touched down after their 14 hour flight, to pull out another bag. She'd filled it with a couple outfits and a pair of sneakers, knowing she wasn't going to spend long in the hotel. She changed, silently, into an outfit she'd haphazardly thrown into the case just before she left. It blended her into the shadows, and she inwardly celebrating the brilliant thinking of her self conscious for making that last second decision.

Finally, before Addison left the suite, she crept over to Kenneth's stuff. It was closer to the bed, so Addison had to be even more careful and quiet then with her own stuff. She opened a brown, leather suitcase that Kenneth had kept so close to him ever since they left the castle. She rifled through it, pulling out particular file folders, and shoved them in her bag.

Addison gave Kenneth's sleeping form one more look as her hand lingered on the doorknob. Once again, her insides were swayed to feel something for him as she gazed upon his defenseless form. But as soon as the feeling came, it left, replaced with the memories that would always haunt her, of his cruel personality. He'd left her with several scars that even the most trained eye couldn't see. Innerly, she knew she would always be his; he left his mark too deep on her. He'd made that painfully clear.

Addison did one more thing before she ventured out into the hallway. She pulled a pair of soft, black gloves from a pocket of her back, and slipped them onto her fingers. Her mother had taught her well: leave no trace, for Wesen or non- Wesen, behind.

She opened the door carefully, and enter the hallway to see the guard sleeping. She knew that wouldn't last very long, however, so she pulled off the golden bracelet on her wrist. As she untwisted the golden thread, she thought about the first time she'd held it, when the King gave it to her after her first successful mission. Then images flashed across her mind of faces that belonged to the people she'd used it on. She wrapped it around the man's neck with one hand, and pulled tight as she covered the man's mouth with another. He'd only been awake for a couple seconds before the gold chain cut into his airway, sending him back to unconsciousness. This time, it was one he would never wake up from.

Soon, when his dead body slumped forward, Addison retrieved her bracelet. She spun it back into a dual loop before stuffing it in another pocket of her bag. She'd clean it off later.

She was careful to exit the suite, and then the hallway, into a stairway at the end of the floor. Addison flew down the couple flights of stairs, exhilarated to finally be escaping. She had dreamt of it for so long, and while this was not the way she imagined it, she was thrilled to finally be doing it.

Addison left out of a side entrance in the stairway, and walked straight into the parking lot. Yanking the hood of her jacket over her head, she started scanning for a car. Then she thought better of it, and turned to the nearest street. It was dead, as it should be in the middle of the night. It made her getaway that much easier. Once again she began her search, once she was a good four blocks from the hotel. It wasn't long after her search that she found what she had been looking for. It was more than perfect, to be honesty.

It was a silver Ford Escape parked beside a modest home. She wasn't looking at the aesthetics of the car however, but the fact that it had its windows slightly rolled down and a set of keys on the driver's seat. She snuck a look at the house, to double check that all the lights were off.

She walked up to the driver door, and leaned close to the window. Addison raised her hand, holding her fingers close to gap the open window made. Then she squinted her eyes at the keys, and they flew into her fingertips. The gap was just big enough to get them out, and she did it without hitting them, or making a noise. She slid the key into the lock, and unlocked it, careful to not set off any alarms. One honk of the car, and the whole neighborhood would be awake.

Before getting in the car, she walked around to the back, and tore the license plate off. She tossed it into the yard, her gloved hands still leaving no trace of her being there, and hopped into the Ford. She started the engine, and just started driving. She didn't know where she was going yet, just that it was far from the hotel, and far from Kenneth.

* * *

Addison slowed the car, and put it into park as she came into a space at the park. It, like most of the roads she'd been driving, was empty, which was perfect. There would be no witnesses to her driving the stolen car. She pull the files out of her bag, and started sifting through them. She'd stolen a couple, with all the information she thought she would need. Each one was dedicated to a particular person, and all the intel the Royals (and Addison) had collected. They were all connected in the fact that they were targets of the Families, and would soon become allies with Addison. At least, she hoped they would. If she didn't, everything she did would have been for nothing and Kenneth would have the great pleasure of ending her life.

As she pushed aside the folder addressed for her brother, she pulled out another one, containing a very familiar name: Curt Black. It was the leader of the American Resistance, Northwest division. He was one of the many scattered across the country, who would be very glad to see Addison away from the Austrian grasp. Curt would also be very relieved to see her still alive. Before Addison and her mother flew to Europe to fight in the biggest Wesen war of all time, they'd stopped at Curt's residence. He was the one to give Addison the garrote bracelet, and half of the knowledge she knew about defending herself.

Addison jumped when she heard a knock at the window. She turned the key still in the ignition to make the engine jump back to life. Then she rolled down the window to see her unwanted visitor. It was a man giving her a very suspicious look, wearing the emblem of the Portland Police Department. Her heart sank with all the possible things he might say to her, including that she'd been reported missing by Kenneth and he was there to take her back. But she threw a lock of hair over her shoulder, and gave the cop a disarming smile, commanding herself back to reality.

"Hello there, Officer," she coyly said. "What can I help you with tonight sir?" She partially hoped her politeness alone would get her out the particular situation she was in.

He curiously eyed her gloves, the manila folders, and her black clothes. The lack of a license plate was what had made him notice the car in the first place, and he was glad he'd stopped to check it out. All of his police training was screaming to him that she was a criminal, and she would see it written on his face.

"I'm going to need you to get out of the car ma'am," he cut to the chase. He didn't even ask her for ID, or insurance papers or anything. His gut told him what he needed to know; this car did not belong to the woman inside, nor was she up to any good.

"Ok," she grumbled, setting her papers on the passenger seat. She unbuckled her seatbelt (because even she participated in safe driving) and before it snapped back into place, she acted. Instead of following the officer's instructions, she lashed a fist out through the window, landing square on his nose. He took half a step back, dazed, and was further unbalanced as she swung the door open and hit him. He stumbled backwards before falling all the way to the ground, and as he was still seeing stars, Addison turned him over and ground a knee into his back. She pulled the pair of silver handcuffs from his belt, and locked them around his wrists. Then, with her touch being gentle again, she helped him get up and guided him to the car. She opened the door to the back and (gently!) pushed him in. She'd never wanted to hurt him, but she also couldn't risk getting caught.

"Sorry," she mumbled before closing the door. The cop hadn't said another word since the tables turned; he was still dazed and now in pain.

Before returning back to the car that was definitely not hers, Addison reached through the open driver's side window of the cruiser and yanked out the dash cam. She chucked it into the grass more than fifteen feet away from the car, hoping the evidence would be destroyed or lost before anyone found the officer. Then Addison got back into her vehicle and drove away, hoping to not find herself in anymore trouble that night.


	6. Chapter 5: A Royal Reunion

**A/N: Wow, it's been soooooo freakin' long since I've posted anything! Sorry guys! I'm working on the rest of the plot, and I hope I surprise you in some of the next chapters :3 It's getting good; you won't want to miss it! ;) Stay tuned, and thank you for reading!**

Addison spent the night in her car. She was hesitant to even leave the driver's seat. In the morning, however, she parked in the back alley of the old part of the city before walking to a cafe. She didn't want her license plate-less car gaining any more attention for her. In the cafe, she got a coffee to go and a handful of granola bars, and headed back to her car. Then she drove to a little suburban neighborhood, pretty close to the one she stole her car from. Addison picked a spot in front of an empty house; the owners were clearly on vacation, she deduced from a stack of uncollected newspapers sitting at the end of the drive. There she had a perfect view of a double story, ordinary brown house.

Addison watched the house for hours- until the early autumn dusk had began to fall- before a large guy walked onto the mocha porch. She watched a large paw wrap around the gold door knob and open the door. She even watched as he entered the building, but as soon as the door shut, her car door was open and she was running across the street. She climbed the steps, engulfed in the shadows of the porch. Addison waited a second in front of the entrance, her hand hovering in the air. Then she went right in, without knocking.

Her light steps carried her into the living room, where more shadows masked her presence. Unfortunately, they also mostly covered the presence of the other person in the room. Addison was completely unaware of him until it was too late. She knew someone else was there as soon as a knife blade was held against her throat. It gently bit into her skin, creating a little stream of blood, which was enough to make Addison stop struggling.

"Who are you and why are you in my home?" a rugged voice whispered in her ear.

"Kurt, it's me, Addison," she said, her voice calm and level.

"The only Addison I knew died a long time ago," he responded with a bitter tone. "Now really, who are you?" As he repeated his question, she felt more pressure of the knife and it dug just a little deeper into her skin.

"Kurt, look at me." She fought to remain even. When he didn't responded, she did. Her two arms were restrained by his large hairy one. She turned her arms, so her palms faced out, and pushed downwards. His iron grip crumbled, and she dove to the left, away from the knife. She had to roll to keep him in her sights, but as she did, she pulled her pistol off her hip. He took a dazed, stumbling step toward her, and she pushed off against his shins. The force pushed her away, sliding on the hardwood floor, and put her in perfect range for the weapon she held in her hands. Kurt held his hands up, knowing that his knife wasn't going to do much at that point (unless he threw it and they both knew it wasn't as aerodynamic as the bullets in the chamber of her gun).

Addison lowered her gun slightly, so he could see her face. She had to remind herself to relax her muscles though. The girl he remembered had been cheery and carefree. That girl didn't have the worry lines or tension in her face like the older Addison had. The other girl didn't know that to survive she'd need to keep everything inside, and hide her emotions away. Addison had to remember the young girl, and when she did, so did Kurt.

The knife dropped out his hand, clattering onto the hardwood floor. He followed his knife, falling to his knees.

"Addison? I thought you were dead." The remorse and grief were tangible in his voice. Addison cautiously lowered her gun to the floor, but didn't relinquish her grip on it.

She nodded morosely. "A lot of people thought I was dead. Actually, a lot still think I am."

"Wh- how did you escape? Have you been with the Royals this whole time? How did your mom escape-" The questions were bubbling out of him, and still would have if she hadn't cut him off.

"She escaped?" Her voice remained emotionless, but her heart leaped in fear. Her eyes grew wide as she watched Kurt fight to stop his racing thoughts. Her mere presence was enough to start a revolution, and every detail he could get from her would help his cause, and he was fully aware of it. She was too, but she cared more about her mom than the Resistance at the moment.

"You didn't know?" Kurt quietly asked.

Addison shook her head. "I had always assumed she'd been killed." She leaned forward, eager to hear his response to her next question, "Do you know where she is?"

"She took a mission from us, and she's gone into hiding. She periodically contacts us, but never with a location." Addison's face fell with the news. Truthfully, she wasn't surprised. The Resistance, though claiming to be the good ones, were mysterious and very few knew all of the operations of the organization. She didn't really expect to be brought in on all of their work so easily. For all Kurt knew, she could be a spy and not really free from the Royals. She could still be a Royal asset, and for a moment he let his personal connection cloud his judgement. He had told her too much already, and he wasn't about to expose anything else to her.

She slowly stood up, keeping her gun in one hand. Kurt stood up as well, keeping eye contact with her for the most part, only breaking it to glance down at the object in her hand.

"Well," she started. "I just wanted to let you know I was here. I better go now." In truth, she wanted to get out before she revealed too many of her own secrets. She wanted to destroy the Royal family as much as the Resistance, if not more, and she could be a real asset to them. She just wanted it to be on her terms.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked. "I have an extra room if you wished to stay." That way she could be close to him. She couldn't disappear on them again.

Addison gave the man a smile, or at least something close to that. "That's ok. I still have some things to do."

She spun on her heel and started to walk out, still holding the gun. She didn't trust him. It had been too long. And to be honest, she didn't fully trust the Resistance even. Her mom had dived headfirst into the work they offered her, but Addison had always been wary. With good reason, when they put her on the front lines and didn't bother to fight to get her back when she'd been captured. Plus, she hadn't lied. She'd only wanted to let them know she was back in Portland. Once Kurt knew, she was sure their operatives all over the city would know soon as well.

She walked to the door, and pushed it open with her free hand. It then closed, though it was without her touch. Kurt still stared at where she'd been, unsure of what he'd just seen.

Addison took a deep breath as soon as she had put some space and the door between the two of them. Then she put her gun back into her holster, and stalked back to her car, a sour expression once again enveloping her face.

* * *

Addison parked her stolen car in an abandoned lot, still fuming from her encounter with Kurt Black. She climbed out, locked it, and pulled on a dark baseball cap. She started jogging, under the rainbow colored dusk sky, each step releasing a little frustration.

It was something she learned from her mother. If you had spare time (which was a rarity) then it should be spent preparing yourself for the next fight. It was what you had to do if you expected to survive.

Addison was following an asphalt trail that was a dedicated walking path for the park it encircled. But she didn't stay on it long when she heard voices. She'd figured it would be too late for anyone to be around, but clearly, she was wrong. She made a sharp turn to the left, hopping over a hedge and sprinting into the woods. She needed the rough terrain anyway, she supposed. It wasn't very likely that someone would chase her on asphalt; her luck just didn't work that way.

After a mile or so, she reached a clearing. It made her suspicious, as she could hear another person as far out as she was. She heard the snapping of twigs, and someone crashing through the brush, coming towards her.

Soon a woman appeared in his view. She was stalking along the bushes, keeping a careful eye out, though she hadn't spotted Addison. She wasn't alarming, until Addison smelled a tinge of metal in the air. She recognized it as the poison of a Spinnetod. Her hand hovered above her knife as the woman entered the clearing.

Addison slid behind the trunk of a tree and watch as the woman sniffed the air. And sure enough, Addison was ousted. The spider woman had smelled her, and swung her head in Addison's direction. Before charging, she woged, her eyes turning dark blue and fangs sprouting from her upper row of teeth.

As the woman sprinted towards the tree, Addison pulled the knife of of her sheath. When the woman came around the tree, Addison sliced down, across the woman's left arm. Addison knew it was a good shot, and so did the spider woman, as she watched her own arm fall off her body. It was enough to shock the stranger, but it didn't buy Addison a whole lot of time.

Addison brought the heel of her shoes up to the woman's stomach and pushed back. She fell and started crawling backwards, putting space between her and the Grim. As she did, something started growing from the hole Addison had just put in her. It was a new arm.

It shocked Addison has much as Addison's cut had shocked the spider. Normally, it took days for regrowth. But not with this one. The woman used the Grimm's shock to her advantage, and stood up. Instead of trying to attack her, the woman ran in the other direction.

Addison took it as a chance to catch her breath, and to stop the rush of adrenaline through her veins. She watched the other woman disappear into the brush in the other side of the clearing before turning and starting her own trek in the opposite direction.

Addison was surprised at the entire fight. It was too easy, too quick. The woman had barely fought back, and her arm had grown too fast. Addison figured she was of the new generation. The last few Spinnetods must be evolving to save their species.

Her thoughts didn't get much further before she was distracted by a weight falling onto her back, pushing her to the ground. It was the Spinnetod, back for more. Addison had been right, the fight wasn't over.

Addison was pinned to the ground by her attacker, and the woman's tongue brushed against her neck before the sensation of the chelicerae started to pinch her skin. Addison felt warm blood pooling on her skin and frantically pushed herself off the ground, and rolled to the side. This time it was Addison who was pinning the Spinnetod to the ground. Addison felt the spider's breath leave her chest below her. Addison stood up, and stepped on the woman's chest, keeping the breath from returning to her. Even in the spider's monotonous eyes, Addison saw fear. It didn't last long, before she took her gun out of the waistband of her pants, flicked off the safety, and lodged a bullet in the woman's forehead.

Addison leaned down and brushed the woman's eyelids shut. She didn't want to deny anyone dignity in death, even someone who attacked her. It was then that she attempted to leave again, almost positive that no one would be following her this time. Almost.

As she finished the trek through the woods, she realized she was losing her periphery vision. It was blurry and it forced her to focus on what was directly in front of her. Another couple steps after that, she stepped onto the asphalt path again. Feeling her neck bleed again, she flipped the collar of her leather jacket up and pulled the zipper up some more. She hoped it was enough to hide her wound, because frankly, she couldn't see it.

Addison quickly made her way back down the path, emerging into the parking lot to find her stolen car surrounded by police.

"Damn it," she muttered. "Why can't I have nice things?" She pulled the car keys from her pocket, and squeezed them in her hand, turning them to sand that blew away in the breeze. But it was not without consequence. The rest of her vision went blurry, but only for a second. It was enough to scare her however.

Her heart started to beat faster as she realized what that meant. The poison would feed on her power until she could get an antidote, which meant she needed to get to her brother's, ASAP. He would know what to do... at least that's what she hoped.


End file.
